Bitcoin Rises 5% Since the Start of the Year. What Happened in the Crypto Market

RBK-cryptoPublished on 2026-01-12Last updated on 2026-01-12

Abstract

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading around $91.4K, up 1% in 24 hours and 5% since the start of the year. It reached a 2026 high of $94.4K on January 5th before a brief pullback. Ethereum (ETH) is near $3.13K, gaining 1.3% in a day and 6.6% year-to-date, after also hitting a yearly peak of $3.3K. The total crypto market cap grew 0.66% to $3.12 trillion. Among top assets, Solana (SOL) rose 4%, while XRP fell 1.8. Story (IP) led the top 100 with a 27% surge, while Polygon (POL) dropped 14%. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen a net outflow of $209 million in 2026, continuing a three-month trend of withdrawals. In contrast, Ethereum ETFs attracted nearly $106 million, with Solana and XRP ETFs also seeing inflows of $50.7M and $51.6M, respectively. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is at 27 (Fear), indicating a prevailing bearish sentiment among market participants, though it briefly improved to a neutral 44 earlier in January.

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is fluctuating around $91.4k, as of 11:00 Moscow time. Over the past 24 hours, the leading cryptocurrency has risen in price by 1%, and by 5% since the beginning of the year.

The maximum level that BTC managed to reach this year—$94.4k—was recorded on January 5th. After this peak, the coin fell to $89k, but then began to rise again, exceeding $92k on the morning of Monday, January 12th.

Ethereum (ETH) is fluctuating around $3.13k. The altcoin has risen in price by 1.3% over the past day. ETH's peak in 2026 was set on the night of January 5th-6th at the $3.3k mark. After that, the asset also pulled back but then began to rise again. Since the start of the year, Ethereum has gained 6.6%.

The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market has increased by 0.66% over the past 24 hours, to $3.12 trillion. Among other top-10 coins, Solana (SOL) saw the strongest 24-hour gain—up 4%. The price of XRP (XRP) from Ripple decreased by 1.8%.

Out of the top 100 cryptocurrencies, about 30 coins showed growth over the past day. Story (IP) saw the strongest increase, up 27%. The largest decline was seen by Polygon (POL, formerly MATIC)—down 14%.

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US have recorded a net capital outflow of $209 million since the beginning of 2026, according to information from SoSoValue. Investor withdrawals have continued for the third consecutive month. An outflow of $3.48 billion was recorded in November, and $1.09 billion in December.

The situation is different for Ethereum funds: since the beginning of January, nearly $106 million has flowed into them. Solana ETFs attracted $50.7 million during this time, and XRP ETFs added $51.6 million.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index is in the "fear" zone, at 27 points out of 100. At the beginning of the year, the indicator showed 20 points; on January 6th, it soared to a neutral 44 points for the first time in two months, but then crashed back down and continues to indicate that market participants are more inclined to sell cryptocurrencies than to buy.

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Related Questions

QWhat was the price and year-to-date performance of Bitcoin as of the reporting time?

AAs of 11:00 Moscow time, the Bitcoin (BTC) price was fluctuating around $91.4 thousand. It had increased by 1% over the last 24 hours and was up 5% since the beginning of the year.

QWhich cryptocurrency in the top 10 by market cap showed the strongest 24-hour price increase, and by how much?

ASolana (SOL) showed the strongest 24-hour price increase among the top 10 cryptocurrencies, rising by 4%.

QWhat is the current state of capital flows for US spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2026 according to the article?

AUS spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen a net capital outflow of $209 million since the start of 2026, with investors withdrawing funds for the third consecutive month.

QWhat does the Crypto Fear and Greed Index indicate about current market sentiment?

AThe Crypto Fear and Greed Index is in the 'fear' zone with a score of 27 out of 100, indicating that market participants are more inclined to sell cryptocurrencies than to buy them.

QHow has the mining difficulty for Bitcoin changed recently?

AThe mining difficulty for Bitcoin has fallen for the fourth time in two months.

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